Former Indian and Rising Pune Supergiant captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been officially reprimanded for breaching the Indian Premier League (IPL) Code of Conduct in Pune’s opening match against the Mumbai Indians at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Thursday evening. Dhoni admitted the Level 1 offence (Article 2.1.1) for conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game. In these types of offences, match referee’s decision is final and binding.

There has been no official word on this but the warning might have been issued for MS Dhoni’s DRS gesture when he was keeping to an Imran Tahir delivery. It was in Tahir’s third over that he struck Kieran Pollard on the pads and gave a vociferous appeal and Dhoni jokingly signalled for a DRS review. Match referee Manu Nayyar seems to have not taken the joke nicely and the wicketkeeper-batsman received an official reprimand.

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Rising Pune Supergiant defeated the Mumbai Indians by seven wickets, riding on half-centuries from captain Steven Smith (84 not out) and Ajinkya Rahane (60), in their IPL match here today. Chasing 185 for a win, Pune overhauled the target with a ball to spare in a tense finish as they reached 187 for 3 in 19.5 overs. Smith smashed seven fours and three sixes from 54 balls for his unbeaten 84 while Rahane hit 60 from 34 balls with the help of six fours and three sixes as the duo raised 58 runs from the second wicket to set up the win.

Earlier, put into bat, Mumbai scored 184 for 8 on the back of Hardik Pandya’s late heroics. Hardik Pandya (35 off 15 balls) stunned the home crowd as he scored four sixes and a boundary to take 30 runs from the final over bowled by Ashok Dinda. South African Tahir (3/28), who was unsold in the IPL auction and drafted in the Pune team as a late replacement, triggered a top-order collapse after Mumbai’s rollicking start after they were put into bat.

(with input from agency)